Author: Jed Rubenfeld

Jed Rubenfeld brings together psychology, sociology and sleuthing in this highly readable murder-mystery.

The plot is set in New York in the early part of the 20th century, when money, power and social standing were all still controlled of the upper classes dynasties. However tradition is under threat as the cityscape and more egalitarian society we know today start to emerge.

The main cast comprise Sigmund Freud and acolytes, on their first visit to the United States and at a key time in the acceptance of Freud’s theories on psychoanalysis. Their arrival coincides with the sexually-motivated murder of a beautiful young socialite and within days there is a second attack in a similar vein.

Despite the erudition, it’s not a literary masterpiece – more CSI meets Cracker in an Edith Wharton setting – but a good read nevertheless.